New Senate Bill to Replace ACA Gives More Power to States

Ismael Spencer |Friday, September 15, 2017

Greg Nash

Billed as "The Graham-Cassidy-Heller-Johnson Proposal", the legislation, which would be offered in the Senate as an amendment to the House's American Health Care Act, "repeals the structure and architecture of Obamacare" and replaces it with a block grant program.

The Graham-Cassidy-Heller-Johnson (GCHJ) proposal repeals the structure and architecture of Obamacare and replaces it with a block grant given annually to states to help individuals pay for health care.

That effort effectively died on the floor of the Senate in July when the party couldn't get 51 votes do little more than punt the serious health care policy questions to a conference committee.

Run through the Children's Health Insurance Program, it would become subject to mandatory appropriation-effectively making it a permanent fixture for taxpayer spending.

The Tennessee senator said Tuesday that he hopes to have a bill finalized "early next week in order to be able to hand it to Senator McConnell and Schumer in time to deal with it before the end of the month". It is likely that they would also protest this bill. 12 other senators have signed onto Sanders' bill. According to reports, the health insurance tax is expected to add about $500 to our family's health care premiums in 2018.

Jennings, who served as a senior health care adviser to former President Barack Obama, said replacing the individual mandate with a system based on auto-enrollment would be complicated.

One thing is known for sure, Sanders has brought forth, even with a lack of details, the most popular single-payer bill to hit the national political stage.

Still, some Democrats and progressive activists are nervous that the GOP's long quest to repeal Obamacare may have one last push left.

"What does matter is if a governor gets on board", he said.

"We need obviously the CBO to score more rapidly". I ask you to lead on this issue, so hard-working Wisconsinites like myself don't continue to get crushed by rising health care costs.